The Debut of Hollyleaf
by Kitten With A Tie
Summary: Hollyleaf was found in the tunnels injured and taken back to WindClan to be nursed to health. However, when she gets there, she finds two things: one, enemies that might just be desperate to kill her, and two: a love that will complete her life. HollyxBreeze
1. 01: Being Found

**Well, there are barely any stories out there about Hollyleaf (well, there are some, but I just want to add to the community.) So, this will be a HollyxBreeze story. Don't like it? Tough. If you want to complain about the pairing then go ahead, I won't care. Updates will be rare (I have school too, you know...) so if this story dies don't be surprised. Characters will be slightly OOC. Using the allegiance from Sunset because that's basically when Hollyleaf decided to ruin everyone's lives.**

**=x=**

**Flashback**

_I was running._

_Running far, far away._

_Away from the mistakes I made._

_I wished I hadn't stood._

_I wish I hadn't opened my mouth._

_If only I had kept quiet._

_The pain is tingling up my body, making my body go rigid._

_My leg is twisted weird._

_This can't be good._

_I had managed to drag myself far into the tunnels._

_It's dark all around me._

_Am I dead?_

_The pain in my leg is pure agony._

_I want to scream._

_But I can't._

_My throat is tight with fear._

_Where will I go when I die?_

_StarClan?_

_Or the... the Dark Forest?_

_I shivered from pain and fear._

_I don't want to die._

_But I deserve to die for what I did._

_I can hear voices now._

_"I smell something."_

_"It's probably you."_

_"Shut up, Tornear! It smells like a cat."_

_"You're right, Ashfoot! And it's near, too."_

_"Should we go get it?"  
"For all we know, it's a ThunderClan cat."_

_"Good! I need some ThunderClan fur to line my nest."_

_I would've spat with fury but my throat is so tight with fear now I can hardly breath._

_I can hear pawsteps now._

_Thudding over the ground._

_Scents fill my nose._

WindClan.

_My heart leaps into my throat but it gets stuck there like a hairball._

_What will they do to me?_

_"Ashfoot! It's a cat!"_

_"Hm . . . looks like that Hollyleaf cat from the Gathering."_

_"Ugh, that troublemaker? Let's leave her."_

_"Quiet, Tornear. We're taking her back to camp."_

_"Why?"_

_"She's hurt. Look at her leg. It looks broken."_

_"Hmph."_

_After that they stopped talking._

_I felt jaws lock around my scruff and a muzzle wriggle it's way under my haunches._

_I'm lifted up from the ground._

_"We've got you," a muffled voice says. "We've got you."_

**=x=**

**Present**

I laid in the medicine den, a cast made of tufty grass and twigs wrapped around my leg. My leg wasn't broken, just fractured in a few places. Barkfur, the medicine cat, said it would heal perfectly fine as long as I didn't put too much pressure on it and do silly stuff.

It feels odd to be here. I know I don't belong. It feels odd, after everything I've done. Crowfeather and Nightcloud were furious, yet their son, Breezepelt, looked more curious then angry.

_"She doesn't belong here!" Nightcloud yowled._

_"You should've left her for the dead!" Crowfeather added, his voice a outraged howl._

_I trembled. My own father, telling me that I should be dead. I turn my gaze on Breezepelt, who was watching me. He didn't look angry or sad or anything. He just looked... curious?_

_What?_

_Why he looked curious is a mystery to me. His amber eyes, pools of fire, instead of blazing with hatred toward he looked like he was examining me. His eyes slipped over my injured leg and then over the length of my body._

_When his eyes met mine his ears pricked and he quickly looked away._

_I had huffed to myself before Onestar declared that after I healed he would then decide "what to do with me."_

My head is on my paws, my fractured leg laying on a pile of soft grass. My fur is ruffled with herbs and bit and pieces of grass and twigs were weaved into my black fur. My neck had a crook in it so it hurt to turn my head and groom my fur.

The medicine cat apprentice, Kestrelpaw, was sorting herbs. He kept looking at me, his blue eyes showing no emotion. I could feel his gaze on mine but I chose to ignore him.

He was just a nosy apprentice.

I shifted positions as my stomach pinched with hunger. I licked my lips and lifted my head. I wasn't sure if I was a prisoner or a guest. It was hard to tell. They let me out of the den four times a day and fed me twice, once in the morning and once at night.

Sometimes Barkface would sneak me a mouse or a little scrap of rabbit. I think he enjoyed my company, since I would listen to his rambling about things no cat cared about. Maybe it was the fact that I slept whenever he would he talking, but that's my little secret.

Anyway, as I lay in the den, extremely hungry, I realized that I had been here for quite a while. About four or five sunrises. I wonder if ThunderClan missed me. Probably not, but what's a cat not to miss their birth Clan?

I missed Jayfeather and Lionblaze. I hoped my brothers were coping well with my 'death.'

"Hollyleaf."

I turned my head, ears pricked to see Onestar and Ashfoot standing in the entrance to the medicine den. Kestrelpaw looked up, and, with a leap and a bound, immediately left the den.

"Yes?" I meowed. My voice was hoarse from lack of use.

"How is your leg doing?" Onestar asked. His voice was tense and careful, as if each word he spoke could set me off at any moment.

"It's fine, thank you," I said, looking at my leg. The swelling had went down and I could move it a little.

"Anyway," Onestar continued. "We have decided to let you stay for a few more sunrises." My ears shot up and I looked at him with wide eyes.

"And why is that?" I asked, struggling to keep the anger out of my voice. I bet my green eyes were blazing and I could feel the fur on my neck starting to stand up.

"We can't be wasting prey," the cat said. "Especially to a cat who isn't even WindClan! Feeding you every day is a waste of good prey for cats who-"

"Don't even bother," I snarled. I forced myself to my paws, ignoring the jolt of pain that shot up my leg. "If I'm such a pain to feed, I might as well leave now to save you the trouble of chasing me out."

I limped past them, trying to ignore Onestar and Ashfoot's shocked faces. I hoped a bug would crawl up their tongues and bite their throats out. I entered the clearing, which was half full. Most cats had gone hunting, since the sun was a golden ball in the sky, turning the clearing purple-blue.

"Hollyleaf, wait," I heard Ashfoot call. I didn't respond, just made my way to the tunnel.

"Stop." Onestar had raced in front of me, his tail high in the air. Cats stopped what they were doing to watch the action.

"What do you want?" I asked, lips pulled back in a not-so-threatening snarl.

"We'll let your leg heal up," Onestar said carefully. "And if you can prove some use to WindClan, we will allow you to stay."

"What?!" I turned my head. I hadn't noticed the small crowd gathering around us. The cat who had yowled was Nightcloud, her amber eyes blazing. "Who would want that evil, crow-food eating she-cat among our ranks?" she spat.

If I didn't have this cast on my leg I would've leapt at her and slashed her nose open. But all I could do was bristle and snarl, "Watch it, Nightcloud. Last time I checked, we were _related._"

Nightcloud bared her teeth and leaped at me, but a cat tackled her. My eyes widened as I saw it was Breezepelt. "Mother!" he gasped. "Calm down!"

"Get off me!" Nightcloud yowled, struggling to free herself.

"Mother, don't bother," Breezepelt said. "She's not worth it."

For some reason, that made my heart tighten. My eyes narrowed and I glared at Breezepelt. "Not worth it, huh?" I mumbled to myself. I hoped no cat could hear me, but Ashfoot did. Her ear twitched. I held my breath as I realized Breezepelt was her nephew. If I said anything bad about him, that would be _super bad _for me.

"Stop this foolishness right now," Onestar snarled. "I didn't say she was _going _to join. I said if she proved that she was some use to WindClan, she could join."

"She was raised in the trees," Crowfeather pointed out. "How will she learn to hunt out in the open?"

"Of course you would know that," a cat sneered. Crowfeather turned his head to hiss at some cat in the crowd, and I spotted a blue eyed cat shrink to the ground.

"If you have any objections," Ashfoot cut in, "you can talk to me and Onestar. But for now this discussion is closed." Her eyes gleamed. "For now." Onestar shot his deputy a grateful glance before waving his tail, signaling that the meeting was truly over.

I flicked my ear and turned to limp back to the medicine den, but Breezepelt walked over. He blinked at me. "Hi."

I blinked back. "Uh, hi."

We stood in a awkward silence before he meowed, "So, how did you hurt your leg?"

I began to say something rude but instead I said, "Falling debris decided to have war with my leg."

His eyes widened slightly before he shook his head. "Debris from where?"

I lowered my head. "I'd rather not say..."

He opened his mouth to say something but Nightcloud yowled, "Breezepelt, get away from her! She's a tainted ThunderClan cat! Come here _now_!"

Breezepelt rolled his eyes. "I've got to go." Without waiting for a reply he turned and bounded back to his mother who started snarling at him. Crowfeather was staring at me, eyes narrowed.

I stared back. We stared at each other for a while before I turned, ending the wordless argument and limping back to the den. I collapsed in my nest - carefully cradling my leg - and listened to Barkface as he complained about being old.

**-x-**

**Eh, sucky ending. But what are you going to do? Beat me with sticks and steal the food from my fridge?**

**Nah.**

**Not much HollyxBreeze, but tiny bits of hints. I made Breezepelt not so mean because he didn't have many speaking parts. I think I captured Nightcloud perfect though. Rude, annoying, needs to be struck by lightning, eaten by a badger, must I go on...**

**Anyway, remember to review! :3**

**Also, join this website.**

** warriorsfanfiction . boards **

**Just remove the spaces.**


	2. 02: Sincerely

**A/N: I update too fast. Meh. And thanks to all the people who reviewed! I'm sorry if I made Crowfeather too harsh. But wouldn't you be if the person you hated suddenly appeared in your home and was invited (sort of lol) to join?**

**-x-**

**Three Moons Later**

_It's been three moons._

My leg is getting better. I'm able to walk on it better now, and the muscles are stronger. Barkface said that tomorrow I can take off the bandages. And in a few sunrises I'm able to try and run and hunt.

Breezepelt visits me a lot. He normally just sits in the entrance and watches me as I flex my leg. Most of the time I ignore him, but sometimes we engage in heated eye-wars. However, in his gaze, there's no anger or hatred in them. Just regret and sadness.

Did he regret the way he treated me?

I knew he was my half-brother, but we didn't feel . . . related. More like distant relatives. When I say distant, I mean _real _distant.

My fur bushed up as I heard fur brsh past the stiff, thick grass that made up the den. I turned my head to see Onestar. He was by himself. His blue eyes were clouded and foggy, brimmed with red as if he had been up all night.

"Hi, Onestar," I said curtly, my ears slightly flattened to my skull.

"Hello, Hollyleaf." He lowered his sky-blue gaze to stare at the black she-cat.

I tilted my head, ears flopping to the side of my head. "Is there something you need?" my asked, emerald eyes scanning his.

The small brown tabby sighed. "Well, I trust that your leg is much better."

I nodded. "Yes. I can stand on it longer and the muscles aren't as tight and cramped as they used to."

Onestar flicked an ear. "Good." He turned his head to stare out of the den. His whiskers twitched and the muscles underneath his fur moved, and his eyes, nose, and whiskers twitched as if he was speaking some unspoken language to some cat I couldn't see.

He turned his head back to me. "You're going to need a mentor."

I almost scoffed. "Mentor?" I repeated. I'm a _warrior, _for StarClan's sake! Why in the name of all that's holy will _I _need another mentor? Like Brackenfur wasn't enough!

"Yes, mentor," Onestar meowed to me. "You'll need to learn WindClan's hunting and fighting skills."

I let out a tiny sigh. _Oh, mouse. It's like becoming a apprentice all over again!_

Onestar's eyes slipped over mine again. "Do you agree with this, Hollyleaf?"

I was quiet. _Should you start your life over again? Or should you just leave? _My eyes darkened as I let them graze over my hind leg. It was no longer bent at a awkward angle and the swelling was no longer there. Good as new, except for the slight bluntness of my claws and my toes slightly swollen.

"Well?" Onestar's impatient mew filled my ears.

I turned my head and faced him, my eyes a watery green. "I've already lost so much," I mewed sadly. "It's not like I have anything else." The male cat's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak but I continued. "I lost my mother, my father, my siblings, all my friends... I truly have nothing." I shifted into another position. "But hopefully everything will change here in WindClan. Yes, I accept your offer."

Onestar closed his mouth then gave a stiff nod. "I hope so as well, Hollyleaf," he said, his mew soft. Spinning on his heels the WindClan leader left the medicine den.

I lowered my head on my paws.

_New life, huh? _I asked myself. With a tiny chuckle, I murmured out loud, "Well, sounds nice to me."

**-x-**

**Sorry for the short chapter. It's ten'twelve and I need to head to bed. Next chapter will probably be up in one or two days.**


	3. 03: Silence

**A/N: this chapter might be longer. I dunno. And thanks to all the reviews. (: Three moons probably isn't long enough to heal a fractured leg but I'm not a doctor so I wouldn't know.**

**-x-**

_I had agreed to everything._

The code.

The rules.

The laws.

But then Onestar said that I had to become an apprentice again.

"What?" I snarled.

I couldn't help it.

It slipped out.

My fur was standing on end, lips pulled back.

Onestar flicked his ear. "Your name can stay 'Hollyleaf,' but you will be treated as an apprentice."

My tail lashed. I wasnted to yowl, "No. I will not become an apprentice again!" But I had no choice. This was my home now, even if I didn't know how to hunt WindClan prey.

His blue eyes searched mine. "Do you accept these terms, Hollyleaf?"

I was quiet. Every cat's eyes was on me. Their gazes burned me, daring me, forcing me, willing me to say no. But I cleared my throat and said, "Yes, Onestar. I accept." My voice rang out clearly into the air.

"Your name shall remain Hollyleaf. StarClan welcomes you as a training apprentice of WindClan."

I flicked an ear as I waited for cats to chant. The clearing was silent. Wind sliced through my fur, ruffling my pelt and howling in my ears.

Silence.

Then, "Hollyleaf! Hollyleaf! Hollyeaf!" I searched the crowd. There was Ashfoot, on her paws, dark speckled pelt blowing in the wind. And then, slowly, more cats began to join.

Every cat was chanting. Every cat, except Nightcloud and Crowfeather. Crowfeather was staring daggers at Breezepelt, who was crying my name. Nightcloud was looking at me as if I had just smacked her over the muzzle with crowfood.

I felt proud, but then I felt sad. I remembered when I was being assigned to... _Leafpool._

As I thought of my mother's name a sour and bitter feeling filled my throat. Did I miss her? Or was this hatred that was swelling in my throat?

I pushed the feelings away. _You have WindClan to worry about._

I felt a gaze on my pelt. I turned my head to see Breezepelt looking at me again with that same curious expression. His eyes were narrowed and full of curiousity, as if he wanted to study me more, learn more about me.

"Hollyleaf," Onestar said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You can train with Breezepelt and Heathertail." I tried my best not to bristle with disbelief.

Heathertail had seen my brother when we were younger. And right now she was glaring at me with those heather-blue eyes.

I couldn't read her expression.

Why was she even glaring at me?

What did I do?

"Hollyleaf, now," Onestar said impatiently. I guess I had drifted off again and he had just called off the meeting.

I jumped off the Clanrock, and immediately let out a hiss of pain. I had landed on my injured leg wrong, and a jolt of agony ran up my entire leg. I grit my teeth and tried to shake off the pain, shaking my leg and limping forward.

"Are you okay?" Breezepelt asked. He and Heathertail had approached me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "I just hurt my leg a little."

Heathertail snorted. "Onestar should've just let you heal longer. You're barely healed!"

I said nothing, just let my tail lash once. "Well, let's go train," Breezepelt said, his voice a gruff rumble. He turned and led us out of camp.

Well, here we go.

I'm about to start my training as a WindClan warrior - or apprentice?

**-x-**

**The only reason this chapter is so rushed is because I'm sleepy and I need to get going in order to actually get the story running. Next chapter might be a little bit more longer and slightly intimate (if you know what i mean hurrhurr).**

**Followers get a Breezepelt plushie.**

**Reviewers get a Hollyleaf plushie.**

**Favoriters get a Onestar plushie.**

**All of the above get a Ashfoot or Heathertail plushie. ;D**


	4. 04: Fighting

**A/N: I would like to thank all my reviewers. I would've gave up on this story a long time ago if it wasn't for you guys. Thanks (:**

**-x-**

_WindClan's battle moves weren't too hard to learn._

And mostly since there was WindClan in my blood. It was pretty easy, since I had long legs and I was rather thin and tall. Anyway, everything was going well until...

"Ow!"

I thought the sound had come from me, but instead it was Heathertail.

"Oops."

We had been practicing the leap-and-pin, and I guess I had done it wrong. I had leaped at Heathertail, and she had tried to dodge. I tried to stop myself. My hind paw had dug into the marshy ground, but my body slammed into her. Right now she was struggling to stand, her blue eyes wide with anger and pain.

"I didn't mean to," I said as I struggled to gain my balance. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry my tail!" Heathertail snarled, tail lashing. "You did that on purpose!"

"No I didn't," I snapped back. Breezepelt watched, eyes wide. He obviously wanted to cut in, but even a kit knew better then to get in a she-cat fight.

"Stupid ThunderClan cat," Heathertail said with a sneer. "You're a dumb rabbit-brain - or should I say _squirrel_-brain?" Her sneer grew larger, seeming to cover up most of her ugly face.

I opened my mouth for a sharp retort, but Heathertail kept on talking. "Why don't you just go back to your dumb Clan?" she growled. She let out a fake gasp of surprise. "Oh, that's right. You _can't. _You revealed your family secret at the Gathering!" She let out a cruel laugh. "I'm pretty sure they won't accept _you_ back!"

My mouth dropped. I'm pretty sure if it fell any lower a rabbit would trip and fall into my mouth. My heart stopped, and I felt as if a cat had just slashed my face.

"Heathertail!" Breezepelt snarled. "What in the name of StarClan is wrong with you?"  
Heathertail shrugged.

"She deserved it," the she-cat mewed. She then curled her lip at me. "Why don't you go chase a squirrel, half-Clan?"

Okay... calm down. Calm down, Hollyleaf. She's not worth it. Just turn around and...

You know what? Forget that.

With a snarl, I leaped at Heathertail, taking her by surprise. We tumbled over the ground, and I managed to box her over the ears and send painful nips to her muzzle. She yowled in pain and kicked me off.

I hit the ground harder then I expected, landing on my bad leg. I let out a hiss of pain, struggling to stand. I kept my injured leg up a little bit, supporting myself on my three good paws. I glared at Heathertail, ears flattened.

She charged at me, and I quickly sidestepped and slashed my claws over her cheek. Heathertail pounced at me, recovering quickly, claws a blur.

Pain exploded in me as my flank was soon bloody and ripped, the ground beneath my paws getting slick with blood.

I wasn't going to give up _that _easily.

Carefully shielding my injured hind leg I ran at Heathertail. Thinking I was going to headbutt her, she sidestepped. I whirled around, making sure that I raked my claws along her ear and with my other paw I tackled her.

"Stop!" Breezepelt yowled.

Heathertail hissed at me, her hind paws kicking my belly. I quickly got off of her, panting. My flank was bloody and blood dripped into my eyes from a cut on my forehead I hadn't seen Heathertail give me.

The light brown tabby was equally beat up, one of her ears ripped, her muzzle bloody and her flanks bloody as well.

"We're going to camp now," Breezepelt growled. Heathertail scrambled to her paws and hared off, probably to go whine to Onestar and Ashfoot that I had allegedly attacked her.

When we were alone, I sat on my haunches to lick my bloody pelt.

"Are you okay?" Breezepelt asked me.

I glared at him. "Why didn't you stop the fight?" I spat. I then sneered. "Oh, that's right. Because I'm _half-Clan, _right?"

The night-colored tom tried to speak, but I interrupted him again. "Don't even bother." I got to my paws, ignoring the pain that shivered up my spine when I applied pressure to my injured paw.

**-x-**

"Hollyleaf, your punishment is to clean out the elder's den for a moon, and you are not allowed to eat unless you have caught at least one piece of prey."

Onestar's words boomed in my ears as he told me my punishments. He wouldn't even let me explain!

Heathertail gave me a smug look as Onestar spoke.

"Do you accept these terms?"

"Yes, Onestar," I said through gritted teeth. I didn't respect this tom, not even a little bit.

He noticed this and frowned at me.

I tore my gaze away from his and instead looked at my paws, studying them. I sheathed and unsheathed my claws, imagining that I was sinking them into Heathertail's pelt, ripping her fur from her flesh...

"This meeting is over," he announced, disappearing into his den.

I stood on shaky paws. My injured leg was acting up again, and I began to limp to the medicine den when Heathertail approached me. I sighed.

"You should know your place," Heathertail sneered. "Too bad Breezepelt interrupted us. I wasn't done ripping up your pelt!"

"Go eat some deathberries," I muttered. I didn't even flinch as a few cats who were nearby hissed at me. I was used to them growling and snarling at me, and to be honest, I didn't care. They could snarl and growl at me all they want - whether they like it or not, I'm going to become a WindClan warrior.

"See you later, Holly_paw_," the she-cat meowed. With another dirty look she pranced away, heading towards a group of warriors. When she reached them she meowed something to them before flicking her tail in my direction. The group laughed.

Whatever they were saying about me, it certainly wasn't anything good.

I noticed one cat in the group that wasn't laughing. It was Breezepelt. His ears were slightly flattened, and when he noticed me looking at him he lifted his amber eyes to meet mine.

For a moment, I got lost in those orange eyes... I then blinked a few times before turning and limping back to the medicine den.

**-x-**

"Hollyleaf!" Barkface meowed in surprise. "What are you doing in here? I thought I said-"

"...to come back when my leg started hurting," I finished. "Well, it's hurting. And there's a little more..." I showed him my injured flank.

The old tom frowned. "Kestrelpaw!" he called, not breaking our eye contact, "get some horsetail and..."

I didn't bother listening. I sat down on my haunches and let Kestrelpaw smear my pelt with herbs.

"Alright," Barkface said as Kestrelpaw padded away. "You'll have to stay here. I'm afraid that you've sprained your leg again. How?"

I glanced at the old tom. "You weren't at the meeting?" I asked.

"What meeting?"

"Oh." I didn't bother explaining. I just laid down on the nest I had used the last time I was here, closing my eyes. But before I closed them, I noticed a cat-shaped outline on a pile of moss.

_So he's been asleep, _I thought. I purred softly. When Barkface gazed at me curiously I just shrugged and dozed off.

**-x-**

**A/N: Sorry for not updating. I've been busy with other stories, and school recently ended so I'll have a lot of time left to update. I'll try to keep this story active.**

**Remember to review!**


	5. 05: Challenge

**-x-**

_I woke up and stretched, wincing a little at the pain that nipped at my injured leg._

It felt stiff and when I moved it, more pain exploded in it. I tried to ignore it, pressing the paw against the ground. I turned around, limping out of the den.

"Hollyleaf."

I lifted my head when a cat called my name. I held back a hiss as I saw it was Onestar, perched on the Meeting Rock. When we made eye contact he leaped from the rock and padded over to me.

"Do you need something?" I asked him. We were about the same size, but my long legs made me tower over him just a bit. I tried to keep the bitter feelings I felt towards him from showing, and hoped I wasn't failing.

Onestar showed no signs of discomfort or anger towards me as he spoke, and didn't let the fact that I was taller then him bother him, but made it clear he was the lead cat but still brought himself to his full height (which was barely past my nose) and said in a calm tone, "Ashfoot is organizing patrols right now. Go and wait for her to assign you to a patrol."

As I began to walk past him, he hissed in my ear, "Remember your punishments, Hollyleaf."

I fixed him with a fiery green glare. "I remember, Onestar," I growled at him. His eyes narrowed and we were locked in a silent battle. His fur bristled a little bit and he glared at me. A few cats noticed the silent dispute and watched us.

The clearing was filled with silence.

Onestar unsheathed his claws.

I didn't copy him, just stared at him calmly. To be honest, my heart was beating faster then a mouse's. I mean, I was in a _battle _with the leader of WindClan!

But he wasn't any bigger then a one-moon old warrior, so I kept myself calm and stared at him.

The brown tabby curled his lip at me. "A real cat knows when to walk away," he growled. He whipped around and hared off to his den.

I sighed, letting my tense shoulders fall. I had tensed up my whole body, making every limb and muscle go stiff. My leg wasn't feeling any better. The cast had fallen off in my sleep, and it was burning with fiery pain.

I ignored the agony and limped over to Ashfoot, who had stopped assigning patrols to watch the fight.

When I approached her, she dipped her head - wait, was that _respect _in her eyes?

"Good morning, Hollyleaf," she mewed.

"Morning, Ashfu-foot," I replied. I mentally smacked myself. _Mouse-brain!_

But if the deputy heard my slip-up she paid no attention to it. "Owlwhisker, Nightcloud, Gorsetail," Ashfoot meowed, "you three go hunting. Leaftail, Dewspots, Willowclaw - you three go mark the RiverClan border. Take your apprentices with you." The named cats did as they were told.

"Whitetail, Emberfoot, Breezepelt, and Hollyleaf." I stiffened when she said my name. Out of the corner of my eyes I looked at Breezepelt, who looked just as surprised as I was.

"Ashfoot," Emberfoot whined, "I don't want to go patrolling with... with _her!_"

"Do you want me to claw off you ears like I did to Heathertail?" I couldn't help but spit.

Emberfoot snarled at me. "Is that how you prove your loyalty?" he sneered. "Clawing up your Clanmates?"

I stood, bristling. "How about I rip off your-"

"Enough!" Ashfoot interrupted. "Both of you, settle down. Whitetail, could you make sure those two don't rip out each other's throats?" The deputy was smirking.

Whitetail purred, her green eyes gleaming. "I'll do my best, Ashfoot."

"Good." The grey cat continued. "Anyway, you four are patrolling the ThunderClan border."

My heart instantly flew up my throat, and I held back a shocked gasp. "Y-you can't be serious," I found myself stammering.

Ashfoot faced me, her eyes narrowed. "Is there a problem?" she asked. I suddenly realized she was testing me, testing my loyalty.

I held back a growl and dipped my head. "No, Ashfoot. There's no problem."

"Why are you so worked up about it?" Breezepelt asked me. "It's just a border. It's not like you-"

"Just a border?" I interrupted with a hiss. "We're patrolling the border of my _Birth_Clan! How stupid can you be?"

The black tom flattened his ears. "Aren't they your past?" he growled. "Why does it bother you?"

I looked at Whitetail, who merely shrugged. "Toms," she mouthed.

I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you cats go out on your patrol now?" Ashfoot asked. "Unless you want to sit in camp and argue all day. It's fine with me."

Whitetail flicked an ear. "Sorry, Ashfoot," she meowed. She then lashed her tail. "Let's go." I followed her, ignoring Breezepelt who said my name.

"Don't talk to me," I growled at him, hurrying after Whitetail.

As I walked beside Whitetail, I heard Emberfoot mutter to Breezepelt. "Don't get your tail in a twist, Breezepelt," he said. "She's just a stupid she-cat. Besides, isn't Heathertail your mate?"

For some reason, that made my heart tighten in my chest.

Breezepelt let out a sigh. "I don't know, Emberfoot. I just-"

Whitetail cut them off. "Why don't you two talk about this later?" she suggested curtly. "Maybe while we're _not _on a patrol."

I cast a grateful glance at Whitetail, who smiled at me.

I then sighed, prepared to mark the ThunderClan border which I hadn't even noticed we'd approached when a shocked gasp made me lift my head.

"Hollyleaf!" the cat gasped. "It's you! It's really you!"

**-x-**

**A/N: Who is this cat? Sorry if I made Ashfoot a little OOC. I've read every book except for the most recent ones, and there isn't enough of her speaking and stuff to build on. I know she's loyal and stuff, but other then that there really isn't anything.**

**I also think I made Whitetail OOC too. oh well**

**I know that Emberfoot trained in the Dark Forest so I had to make him rude. :D**

**Sorry for the short chapter.**

**Remember to review :D**


End file.
